Starting with the January 1, 2009 Benefit Period, the Equity-League Health Trust Fund and the Actors Federal Credit Union (ActorsFCU) have established a Direct Pay Program to allow AEA participants to have their health premiums paid automatically through ActorsFCU. Under the program, your health premiums, as billed to you by Equity-League, will be deducted automatically from your ActorsFCU checking account. Equity-League will coordinate with ActorsFCU and provide them with the billed premium amounts that you see on your billing invoice. All you have to do is download the automatic payment authorization form located on the ActorsFCU website, www.actorsfcu.com (the form is under Services/Special Offers), and once completed, return it to ActorsFCU to get started You can also pick up this form by visiting the Credit Union's New York or Los Angeles office locations as well as reaching them by phone at 1-800-2-ACTORS.

You will then authorize ActorsFCU to pay your premium and the amount will be deducted from your account. If you do not have sufficient funds in the designated account, ActorsFCU will make up the difference, with overdraft protection of up to $750.00 (for a modest fee), through their Courtesy Pay Program. That is, if you don't have enough in your account to make the required payment(s), ActorsFCU will make up the difference. Please note that this does not apply to those who have declined this service.

Deductions from your account will occur approximately the first of the month prior to the start of your calendar quarterly coverage period - January, April, July, October. Therefore, the payment transactions will take place during the months of March, June, September, and December. In order to take part in the program, you need to sign up prior to the Health Fund's premium due dates - March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1 of each year.If you have any questions regarding this program, please feel free to contact ActorsFCU directly.